Auxiliary subduing-reflector for headlights



Er E. CURRIER.

AUXILIARY SUBDUING REFLECTOR FOR HEADLIGHTS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 14, 1919.

1,881,404. Patented June 14, 1921.

PATENT OFFICE.

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CURRIER, F IPSWICH, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUXILIARY SUBDUING-REFLECTOR FOR HEADLIGHTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it' known that I, ERNEST E. CURRIER, citizen of the United States, residing at Ipswich, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Auxiliary Subduing-Refiectors .for Headlights, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to motor vehicle or other electric headlights and has as one of its principal objects to provide means which will eliminate the otherwise blinding effect of the headlights upon pedestrians or other persons approaching along'a roadway.

The invention has as a further object to provide a screen or intercepter adapted to be mounted within a headlight in such manner as to throw rays of colored light across the stream of light reflected by the headlight thereby subduing the said stream of light.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a screen or intercepter which will be exceedingly simple in its construction and which may be readily employed in connection with substantially any conventional type of motor vehicle headlight without the necessity for structural change therein.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1' is a vertical sectional view showing a conventional type of motor vehicle headlight equipped with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the screen in detail.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a slightly difl'erent form of screen.

In order thatthe construction, mounting and operation of my improved device may be accurately understood I have,'in the drawings, shown the device in connect-ion with a motor vehicle headlight 10. This headlight is equipped with the usual parabolhreflector 11 and is closed at its front end by a front pane 12.- Entering through the back of the headlight casing into the reflector is a lamp socket 13 carrying a lamp 14, the lamp being formed with the usual stem or base removably engaged in the forward end of the socket. .As is well known, the ordinary headlight of this type projects a very strong stream of light producing a. pronounced blinding effect upon persons whose vision is directed toward the headlight. The present invention seeks to pro 4 v S pecificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed October 14, 1919..

Patented June 14, 1921. Serial No. 330,557.

vlde a simple and inexpensive device for overcom ng this obnoxious feature, thereby making 1t,unnecessary to employ a separate front pane for the headlight or resort to coating or coloring the light.

In carrylng my invention into effect, I employ a substantially segmental shaped plate or body 15 provided at its inner end with a reduced attaching shank 16 which is formed with an angularly disposed eye 17. As will be observed, the body is formed along the lines of a parabola, being curved or concaved both longitudinally and transversely from the base of the eye 17.

he intercepter or screen may be of any suitable material and its inner concave face is coated with a distinctive color such as red, blue, green, yellow or any other desired tint. If the intercepter is formed from material originally of a plastic nature, such as celluloid or glass, the material itself may be impregnated with the coloring matter.

In F1g. l of the drawings, I have shown my improved device mounted within the headlight 10. As shown therein the eye 17 of the screen or intercepter is of a size to snugly receive the stem or the base of the lamp therethrougl'i. Consequently, by first removing the lamp from the socket 123 and then fitting the stem of the lamp through said eye, the device will, when the lamp is again engaged with its socket, be properly supported by the lamp stem within the headlight. I accordingly provide a device which may be readily employed in connection with any conventional type of headlight without necessitating any structural change therein.

Fig. 3 of the drawing shows a screen 15 which is given a longitudinal curvature ap proximately concentric with the headlight reflector, whereas in Fig. 1 the screen 15 is somewhat eccentric to the reflector and is spaced slightly farther therefrom at its front free end than at its rear end. In both cases, however, the screen conforms generally to the curvature of the reflector,

The blinding glare from high power headlights is due to the fact that the rays of light striking the forward portion of the bottom section of the reflector are directed upwardly so that they strike the eyes of a person looking at the headlight instead of being thrown onto the surface of the ground.

' of the rays issuing intercepted and partake of the color of the screen, so that while sufficient strong white light is thrown out from the upper portion of the reflector and projected directly forward from the lamp to illuminate the path ahead, the colored rays which are directed upwardly will so modify and subdue .the strong white light from the upper portion of the reflector that all glare is eliminated. To facilitate an understanding of the action, I have illustrated the general course from the lower portion of the lamp in a conventional manner in Fig.

1. My intercepter is preferably of translucent material and the rays of light pass through the same to the reflector, as indicated, the result being that all rays projected from the lower portion of the reflector will be modified and softened by the color of the intercepter. serve to diffuse the light rays passing to and through the same and any portions of the light which may be reflected from the upper surface of the intercepter will be colored and will follow paths having the same general directions as those indicated so that an opaque colored intercepter may be used with good results, although-greater diffusion of the light and better illumination of the road will be obtained with a translucent intercepter. It will also be noted that the intercepter projects forwardly to such an extent that rays of light passing downwardly from the lamp and escaping the front end of the The intercepter will also intercepter will also escape the front edge of the reflector but its side edges are sufficiently below the lamp to permit uninterrupted escape of the light passing directly forward from the lamp or horizontally therefrom in lateral directions so that while it does not interferewith the rays passing straight ahead nor with those directed onto the road all the rays which are diverted upwardly are softened and modified by the color of the intercepter and the glare'is thus eliminated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a headlight, the combination with a reflector, and a lamp disposed in front of the reflector, of a colored screen consisting of a segmental plate arranged between the lower portion of the lamp and the lower portion of the, reflector, the side edges of the screen being below the axis of the lamp and of the reflector and the front end of the screen bein in advance of the lamp and below the axis of the same, the side edges of the screen converging rearwardly and the screen terminating at its rear end in an upturned eye. adapted to engage around the stem of the lamp whereby to support the screen. the screen conforming generally to the curvature of the reflector whereby throughout its area it will be spaced from the reflector.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ERNEST E. con ains. a. s.] 

